Collaboration techniques between parties using one or more communication modalities

ABSTRACT

In one embodiment, a collaboration node prioritizes each modality of communication accessible by at least a first user and a second user based on one or more communication characteristics in a collaboration profile, monitors communication characteristics of a communication session conducted in a first modality of communication between the first user and the second user, and determines a second modality of communication accessible to the first user and the second user having a higher priority than the first modality of communication based on the collaboration profile and the communication characteristics for the communication session. The collaboration node further notifies at least one of the first user or the second user when the second modality of communication has the higher priority than the first modality of communication.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure pertains to communication systems, and moreparticularly, to improving collaboration amongst parties using one ormore communication modalities.

BACKGROUND

Advances in communication technologies provide ever increasing optionsfor communication modalities amongst collaborating parties in additionto traditional modalities of communication (e.g., in-person meetings,telephone calls, etc.). For example, networks such as the Internetprovide various digital communication modalities, including email, Voiceover Internet Protocol (VoIP), instant messaging, text messaging, onlineconferencing, video communications, telepresence, and the like.

Often, behavior and etiquette encourage a party in receipt of acommunication to respond in like fashion (i.e., using the samemodality), despite the availability of other (and sometimes moreoptimal) modalities of communication. For example, a party in receipt ofan email sends a responsive email despite the availability of othermodalities of communication such as a phone call, a conference, and eventraditional modalities of communication such as an inter-person meeting.In certain instances, such behavior and etiquette results in inefficientcommunication amongst collaborating parties.

Another example of a resultant inefficient communication includes ahypothetical scenario where two users engage in a messaging session todiscuss a topic. According to this hypothetical scenario, one userinitiated the messaging session believing the interaction sessionregarding the topic would be brief. However, the messaging sessionproved lengthy, with numerous messages, replies, and even includedadditional related topics. At some point during the interaction, itbecomes clear to one or both parties that the messaging modality was notthe most efficient modality to discuss the topic.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In order to describe the manner in which the above-recited and otheradvantages and features of the disclosure can be obtained, a moreparticular description of the principles briefly described above will berendered by reference to specific embodiments thereof which areillustrated in the appended drawings. Understanding that these drawingsdepict only exemplary embodiments of the disclosure and are nottherefore to be considered to be limiting of its scope, the principlesherein are described and explained with additional specificity anddetail through the use of the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 illustrates an example communication network;

FIG. 2 illustrates an example collaboration device/node;

FIGS. 3A, 3B, and 3C collectively illustrate the example collaborationdevice/node of FIG. 2 managing a communication session between twocollaborating users;

FIG. 4 illustrates an example flow diagram for managing a communicationsession between collaborating parties;

FIG. 5 illustrates an example collaboration profile, showing a priorityassociated with various modalities of communication accessible bycollaborating parties;

FIG. 6 illustrates an example screen shot of an example communicationsession between collaborating parties, including notifications totransfer to a different communication modality; and

FIG. 7 illustrates an example simplified procedure for managing acommunication session between collaborating users.

A component or a feature that is common to more than one drawing mightbe indicated with the same reference number in each of the drawings.

DESCRIPTION OF EXAMPLE EMBODIMENTS

Overview

Various embodiments of the disclosure are discussed in detail below.While specific implementations are discussed, it should be understoodthat this is done for illustration purposes only. A person skilled inthe relevant art will recognize that other components and configurationsmay be used without parting from the spirit and scope of the disclosure.

As used herein, the term “user” shall be considered to mean a user of anelectronic device(s). Actions performed by a user in the context ofcomputer software shall be considered to be actions taken by a user toprovide an input to the electronic device(s) to cause the electronicdevice to perform the steps embodied in computer software. In someinstances a user can refer to a user account associated with aparticular electronic device.

According to one or more embodiments of the disclosure, a collaborationnode (e.g., a node or device, including corresponding hardware andsoftware), prioritizes each modality of communication accessible by atleast a first user and a second user in a communication network based onone or more communication characteristics in a collaboration profile.The collaboration node monitors communication characteristics of acommunication session conducted in a first modality of communicationbetween the first user and the second user. The collaboration nodefurther determines a second modality of communication accessible to thefirst user and the second user has a higher priority than the firstmodality of communication based on the collaboration profile and thecommunication characteristics for the communication session, andnotifies at least one of the first user or the second user when thesecond modality of communication has the higher priority than the firstmodality of communication. In certain further embodiments, thecollaboration node further transfers and/or merges the communicationsession conducted in the first modality to (or with) the second modalityof communication when the second modality of communication has thehigher priority than the first modality of communication.

DESCRIPTION

Referring now to the figures, FIG. 1 illustrates a communicationenvironment 100, including a network 105. Network 105 is ageographically distributed collection of nodes interconnected bycommunication links and segments for transporting data between endnodes, such as personal computers and workstations, or other devices,such as sensors, etc. Many types of networks are available, ranging fromlocal area networks (LANs) to wide area networks (WANs). LANs typicallyconnect the nodes over dedicated private communications links located inthe same general physical location, such as a building or campus. WANs,on the other hand, typically connect geographically dispersed nodes overlong-distance communications links, such as common carrier telephonelines, optical lightpaths, synchronous optical networks (SONET),synchronous digital hierarchy (SDH) links, or Powerline Communications(PLC) such as IEEE 61334, IEEE P1901.2, and others. In addition, aMobile Ad-Hoc Network (MANET) is a kind of wireless ad-hoc network,which is generally considered a self-configuring network of mobileroutes (and associated hosts) connected by wireless links, the union ofwhich forms an arbitrary topology.

Network 105 illustratively includes user nodes/devices 110 associatedwith a user 110, and nodes/devices 115, associated with a user115—nodes/device are labeled as shown, “110 a”, “110 b”, “110 c”, and“115 a”, “115 b”, “115 c”, respectively). Network 105 furtherillustrates a collaboration node/device 120. Each of these nodes/devicesare interconnected to a network 105 (e.g., the Internet, etc.) byvarious methods of communication. For instance, the communication linksmay be wired links or shared media (e.g., wireless links, PLC links,etc.) where certain devices, such as, e.g., routers, sensors, computers,etc., may be in communication with other nodes devices, e.g., based ondistance, signal strength, current operational status, location, etc.Those skilled in the art will understand that any number of nodes,devices, links, etc. may be used in the network 105, and that the viewshown herein is for simplicity. Also, those skilled in the art willfurther understand that while the network 105 is shown in a certainconfiguration, such view is merely an example illustration that is notmeant to limit the disclosure. For example, network 105 can supportsWiFi communications, including collaboration and data transfer betweenusers on corresponding mobile devices, phones, computers, etc.,according to the collaboration techniques discussed herein.

FIG. 2 is a schematic block diagram of an example node/device 200 thatmay be used with one or more embodiments described herein, e.g., as thecollaboration device 120, or part of a larger distributed collaborationsystem, shown in FIG. 1 above. The device 200 may comprise one or morenetwork interfaces 210 (e.g., wired, wireless, PLC, etc.), at least oneprocessor 220, and a memory 240 interconnected by a system bus 250.

The network interface(s) 210 contain the mechanical, electrical, andsignaling circuitry for communicating data over the communication linkscoupled to the network 105. The network interfaces may be configured totransmit and/or receive data using a variety of different communicationprotocols.

The memory 240 comprises a plurality of storage locations that areaddressable by the processor 220 and the network interfaces 210 forstoring software programs and data structures 245 associated with theembodiments described herein. Note that certain devices may have limitedmemory or no memory (e.g., no memory for storage other than forprograms/processes operating on the device and associated caches). Theprocessor 220 may comprise hardware elements or hardware logic adaptedto execute the software programs and manipulate the data structures 245.An operating system 242, portions of which are typically resident inmemory 240 and executed by the processor, functionally organizes thedevice by, inter alia, invoking operations in support of softwareprocesses and/or services executing on the device. These softwareprocesses and/or services may comprise collaboration process/services244, as described herein.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that other processor andmemory types, including various computer-readable media, may be used tostore and execute program instructions pertaining to the techniquesdescribed herein. Also, while the description illustrates variousprocesses, it is expressly contemplated that various processes may beembodied as modules configured to operate in accordance with thetechniques herein (e.g., according to the functionality of a similarprocess). Further, while the processes have been shown separately, thoseskilled in the art will appreciate that processes may be routines ormodules within other processes.

As noted above, inefficient communication amongst collaborating partiescan result for various reasons—e.g., behavior and etiquette,collaborating parties being generally unaware of each other's proximategeo-location and availability, and the like. For example, as discussedabove, responding to a communication in the same modality ofcommunication can result in prolonged and potentially inefficient—i.e.,conversations that occur by email can result in numerous and/or a rapidsuccession of near-real time emails which more resembles thecharacteristics of a 1:1 or group instant messaging session or even anin-person meeting.

Accordingly, the collaboration techniques disclosed herein monitor acommunication session between collaborating parties and identify moreefficient ways of collaborating based on the current mode ofcommunication, and also notify or otherwise indicate that additionalmodalities are available to the collaborating parties. In particular,the collaboration techniques disclosed herein improve collaborationamongst parties by analyzing conversations between two or more users andsuggesting enhanced communication options. In some embodiments, forexample, the enhanced communication options might allow for moreefficient communication, more collaborative communication, better use ofresources, etc. Further, collaboration techniques can facilitatetransitioning the two or more users to one of the enhanced communicationoptions (e.g., automatically, upon acceptance of a transfer request,etc.).

FIGS. 3A, 3B and 3C collectively illustrate one or more of thesecollaboration techniques according to this disclosure, e.g., thecollaboration device 120 executing collaboration process 244.

FIG. 3A illustrates a schematic diagram 301, showing user 110communicating with user 115 using devices 110 a and 115 a, respectively(e.g., illustratively shown as computing devices). Collaboration device120 monitors a communication session between collaborating parties—here,user 110 and user 115. Collaboration device particularly monitorscommunication characteristics of the communication session for the typeor modality of communication. Such communication characteristics caninclude, for example, a volume of interaction, a frequency ofinteraction, a duration of interaction, a type of interaction, a numberof participants for the interaction, a network resource usage associatedwith the interaction, a current location of a user, future location of auser, a user preference, presence information for each of the first userand the second user (e.g., location information and calendarinformation, etc.), a preference list indicating an ordered preferenceof each modality, etc.

FIG. 3B illustrates a schematic diagram 302, showing collaborationnode/module 120 sending one or more notifications 305 to devices 110 aand 115 a associated with respective users 110 and 115. The one or morenotifications 305 indicate a different modality of communication is moresuitable (e.g., a second modality of communication) for thecommunication session—e.g., has a higher priority. For example,collaboration node 120 monitors the communication characteristics of themodality for the communication session described with respect to FIG.3A, and further determines when a different type or different modalityof communication is more suitable for the communication session based,in part, on the communication characteristics. Preferably, thecollaboration node 120 monitors the communication characteristics andcompares such communication characteristics to a collaboration profile,which prioritizes various modalities of communication accessible to eachof the parties to the communication session. The collaboration profilecan, for example, include a priority scheme where each type ofcommunication modality accessible by the collaborating parties isprioritized. Further, the collaboration profile can include multiplecollaboration profiles defined for various levels—e.g., specific userprofiles (e.g., user level preferences), as system level profiles (e.g.,default level preferences), and the like. Similar to the communicationcharacteristics, the collaboration profile can prioritize communicationmodalities according to, for example, a volume of interaction, afrequency of interaction, a duration of interaction, a type ofinteraction, a number of participants for the interaction, a networkresource usage associated with the interaction, a current location of auser, future location of a user, a user preference, presence informationfor each of the first user and the second user (e.g., locationinformation and calendar information, etc.), a preference listindicating an ordered preference of each modality, heuristic modeling,autonomic modeling, and the like.

FIG. 3C illustrates a schematic diagram 303, showing the communicationsession transferring to the second or different (e.g., more “suitable”)modality of communication—here mobile devices 110 b and 110 b. Incertain embodiments, collaboration device 120 automatically transfersone (or even both) of the users for communication session to the secondmodality of communication for respective devices. Alternatively, inother embodiments, collaboration device 120 sends a notificationindicating the second modality of communication is available/moresuitable, and waits to receive a response (e.g., accepting or rejectingthe transfer) prior to any transfer. Notably, in certain embodiments,the first modality can be merged or combined with the second ordifferent modality of communication. For example, a communicationsession first conducted using an email modality can be merged with aninstant messaging modality, which can include copying recentcorrespondence, and the like.

While FIGS. 3A, 3B, and 3C illustrate two users—i.e., user 110 and user115—and corresponding devices—i.e., devices 110 a and 110 b, and 115 aand 115 b, such views are shown for purposes of discussion andsimplicity, not limitation. For example, it is appreciated that anynumbers of users can be a part in the communication session and anynumber of associated devices/modalities of communication can beincluded. Further, although each user 110 and user 115 are shown astransferring to a different modality of communication on correspondingmobile devices, it is readily appreciated that each user 110 and 115 canbe independently transferred to a different modality of communication(e.g., only one is transferred) for a respective device and/or each user110 and user 115 can transfer to non-corresponding devices that supportthe different type of modality of communication (e.g., email on acomputer and instant message on a mobile device).

FIG. 4 illustrates an example flow diagram 400 for managing acommunication session between collaborating parties, from theperspective of collaboration device 120, in accordance with thecollaboration techniques described herein.

Diagram 400 begins at step 405 where collaboration device 120 monitors acommunication session or a “collaboration interaction” between user 1and user 2, including geo-locations, and a history of interactionbetween user 1 and user 2.

Next, collaboration device 120 determines if there is a differentcollaboration modality or communication modality available to the users,which different collaboration modality has a higher priority than thecurrent collaboration modality. As discussed above, the collaborationdevice 120 can prioritize the collaboration modality according acollaboration profile that accounts for a volume of interaction (e.g., anumber of exchanged messages), a frequency of interaction, a duration ofinteraction, a type of interaction (e.g. real-time or non real-time), anumber of participants, a current and future user location for users tothe interaction, and the like. Additionally, the collaboration profilecan established at system and user levels. System level collaborationprofiles can include general best practices, while user levelcollaboration profiles allow a user control over their own collaborationpreferences.

For example, two users may continually instant message on a topic butnever talk or have a face-to-face meeting. At a system level, thecollaboration device 120, using a collaboration profile, would suggestanother more effective collaboration modality based on analysis of theinteractions. The collaboration device 120 can also look at fixedlocation/geo-location and time zone aspects in terms of collaborationmodality suggested. As a result, the collaboration device 120 can send anotification suggesting the parties call (e.g., speak) or meet in personas a more effective modality of communication. At a user level, bothusers may historically instant message, despite the availability ofother modalities of communication. One or both users can set apreference for using the instant message modality of communicationand/or the collaboration device can iteratively model user behaviorwhen, for example, users reject suggestions to meet in person andinstead continue to communicate using instant message communicationmodalities.

FIG. 5 illustrates an example collaboration profile 500, showing apriority associated with various modalities of communication accessibleby collaborating parties.

Generally, it can be considered that the most collaborative formats formeetings/discussions are those in which a user has the mostpresence—whether physical presence, or being mentally present in thesense that a user is focused on the meeting/discussion. As shown bycollaboration profile 500, it can be considered that the mostcollaborative meetings are, in order of most collaborative meetingmodalities to the least collaborative modalities of communication: 1. InPerson Meeting, 2. TelePresence (e.g., a product of Cisco Technologies,wherein a video call is hosted by a dedicated system in a dedicatedmeeting room to give a remote user an approximation of appearing in theroom, i.e., an approximation of being physically present), 3. VideoConference, 4. Teleconference with content sharing (an online meetingthat may allow presentation or even interaction with shared documents orworkspaces across the participants of the conference); 5.Teleconference, 6. E-mail, 7. Live Messaging, 8. Text.

It can further be considered that it is more desirable to meet using acommunication modality that permits the greatest amount of participantpresence and therefore collaboration. As discussed above, two or moreusers might not always be aware of all meeting collaboration modalitiesavailable to them at a given time. Accordingly, the collaborationtechniques described herein provide notifications to such users tofacilitate more efficient communication sessions.

Examples when one modality of communication may be more suitable overanother modality of communication include the above discussed InstantMessage modality of communication when the users are in close proximity.In such example, an in-person meeting may be more suitable.Alternatively, if the users are located in disparate geographiclocations, but an instant message conversion refers to particulardocuments, files, and the like, a teleconference with screen sharingcapability may be more suitable (i.e., have a higher priority). Asanother example, a communication session including numerous emailshaving short messages sent/received within a short time period mayresult in the collaboration system recommending and/or transferring thecommunication session to an instant message/phone/teleconferencemodality of communication.

In other examples, the collaboration system can monitor a high rate ofmedium duration (˜15 min) calls between two users, and suggest that ascheduled online meeting may be a more efficient collaboration type.Similarly, if a user is continually joining immersive collaborationmodality (e.g., Jabber, which is a product of CISCO) from a desktop,while additional resources are available to improve the immersivecollaboration modality, the collaboration system can suggest the usertransfer to such additional resources for a higher quality experience.In certain embodiments, the collaboration system prioritizes modalitiesof communication based on a higher degree of overall participation for agiven set of users. Generally, such prioritization results in moreinteractive modalities receiving higher priority assignments, however,in certain embodiments, users, as discussed above, may prefer lessinteractive modalities (i.e., preferring instant messaging or email overin-person meetings). In such embodiments, the collaboration system canprioritize these less interactive modalities of communication over thegreater interactive modalities of communication. The collaborationsystem can, for example, determine a particular user prefers lessinteractive modalities of communication based on user input, historicalpreference, and even an amount of user interaction within an interactiveenvironment for a specific modality of communication—i.e., a user onlyuses a telephone for communication during a WebEx conference when theuser can also share video, desktop displays, and the like. In suchexample, the collaboration system can recommend the users transfer to apoint-to-point call and free up network resources. As another example,the collaboration system can determine when a communication modalitybegins to emulate or imitate behavior of another modality, e.g., twousers rapidly sending short emails to each other in quick succession. Inthis example, the collaboration system can recognize that the rapidlyexchanged short emails is more representative of instant messagingbehavior, and it may suggest that the users transition to the instantmessaging modality to take advantage of other tools available for theinstant messaging modality (rather than continue in rapid short emails).In yet another example, the collaboration system can prioritizemodalities based on efficient resource usage and/or based on resourcesavailable to the users—e.g., an expensive telepresence room is used in ameeting when no other participant has such video capability, resultingin voice conference only collaboration session. In such an example, thecollaboration system can determine that a phone call (conference call)modality is preferred, or even a web based conference modality may be abetter fit, which can support video capability for other users.

While collaboration profile 500 provides a ordering of the mostcollaborative meeting channels to least, it will be appreciated to thoseof ordinary skill in the art that this specific order isn't critical tothe present technology. Rather, the key aspect is that for a givenmeeting, some meeting channels will be more preferred than others, andthis preference can be known to the universal communication system.Additionally, as discussed above, in certain embodiments, thecollaboration device/system can automatically transfer users to adifferent or second modality of communication. In other embodiments, thecollaboration device/system sends a notification and awaits acceptanceor rejection of the suggestion before any transfer.

Moreover, certain embodiments employ autonomic modeling to prioritizetypes of communication modalities for collaborating parties. As isappreciated by those skilled in the art, autonomic modeling includesself-managing characteristics of distributed computing resources andadapting to unpredictable changes. Using autonomic modeling, thecollaboration device/system prioritizes collaboration modalities andtransfers users to such modalities based on high-level policies, whileiteratively checking and optimizing its priority scheme and adapt tochanging environments. Other embodiments employ heuristic modeling toidentify an approximate solution when classic methods fail to find anyexact solution. This is achieved by trading optimality, completeness,accuracy, or precision for speed.

FIG. 6 illustrates an example screen shot 600 of an examplecommunication session between collaborating parties, includingnotifications to transfer to a different communication modality.

As shown in FIG. 6, two parties—i.e., user 110 and user 115—arecommunicating using an instant messaging modality of communication.During the exchange of messages between use 110 and user 115, thecollaboration device determines that a more suitable modality ofcommunication is accessible to both users (e.g., based on acollaboration profile). The collaboration device sends a notification605 to one or both users—here, user 110—indicating that “Modality #2 isavailable and preferred”. In response, user 110 and/or user 115 cantransfer modalities of communication to modality #2.

Notably, the collaboration system further notifies one or both partiesthat a transfer to the different or second modality of communicationoccurred, using the first modality of communication—here, sending aninstant message indicating that a call was sent/received and email wassent/received, and the like. In this fashion, users across multiplemodalities of communication can track the modality of communicationchanges for a communication session.

FIG. 7 illustrates an example simplified procedure 700 for managing acommunication session between collaborating users, particularly from theperspective of a collaboration device/system, in accordance one or moreembodiments of this disclosure.

Procedure 700 begins at step 705 and continues to step 710, where (asdiscussed above), a collaboration node (e.g., devices, systems, and thelike) prioritizes each modality of communication for users. Typically,the collaboration node prioritizes each modality of communication basedon communication characteristics in a collaboration profile. Suchcharacteristics can include, for example, user-level preferences, systemlevel preferences, a volume of interaction between users, a frequency ofinteraction, a duration of interaction, a type of interaction, a numberof participants for the interaction, a network resource usage associatedwith the interaction, a current location of a user, future location of auser, a user preference, presence information for each of the first userand the second user (e.g., location information and calendarinformation, etc.), a preference list indicating an ordered preferenceof each modality, heuristic modeling, autonomic modeling, and the like.

The collaboration node further monitors, in step 715, communicationcharacteristics of a communication session. For example, as discussedabove, the monitored communication session between users is typicallyconducted in a first modality of communication. The collaboration nodemonitors communication characteristics for the communication session todetermine, in step 720, if a different modality has a higher prioritythan the current modality of communication. If the current modality hasthe highest priority, the system remains at step 715 where thecollaboration node monitors the communication characteristics. However,if the collaboration node determines that a different modality ofcommunication has a higher priority than the current modality, thecollaboration node proceeds to step 725, where the collaboration nodecan notify one or more users of the communication session that thedifferent modality of communication has a higher priority than thecurrent modality of communication. In certain embodiments, thecollaboration node transfers, automatically (shown in step 730), thecommunication session to the different modality of communication.However, in preferred embodiments, the collaboration module waits for atransfer response from one or more users, shown in step 735. Thetransfer response prompts the collaboration module to return to step 710and prioritize (e.g., re-prioritize and/or update) the priority formodalities of communication between users) when the transfer responseindicates a rejection to transfer, or transfer the communication sessionto the different modality of communication, when the transfer responseindicates acceptance of transfer.

In certain embodiments, as shown here, the collaboration node furtherprioritizes (or reprioritizes/updates), in step 745, the modalities ofcommunication after transferring the communication session. Proceduresubsequently ends in step 750, but may begin again in step 710 where, asdiscussed above, the collaboration node prioritizes each modality ofcommunication based on one or more communication characteristics in acollaboration profile.

It should be noted that certain steps within procedure 700 may beoptional as described above and further, the steps shown in FIG. 7 aremerely examples for illustration, and certain other steps may beincluded or excluded as desired. Further, while a particular order ofthe steps is shown, this ordering is merely illustrative, and anysuitable arrangement of the steps may be utilized without departing fromthe scope of the embodiments herein.

The techniques described herein, therefore, provide for managingcommunication sessions amongst collaborating parties, includingmonitoring modalities of communication for the communication session,notifying parties to the communication session when certain modalitiesare more suitable (e.g., based on a prioritization in a collaborationprofile), and/or transferring one or more parties to the certainmodalities of communication. The collaboration techniques facilitateefficient participation amongst parties and encourages changes in usebehavior thereby resulting in shorter more effective communicationsessions.

While there have been shown and described illustrative embodiments thatprovide for collaboration amongst users, it is to be understood thatvarious other adaptations and modifications may be made within thespirit and scope of the embodiments herein. For example, the embodimentshave been shown and described herein with relation to two users withassociated devices (e.g., computers/tablets/mobile devices, etc.).However, the embodiments in their broader sense are not as limited, andmay, in fact, be used with any number of users/devices and the like.

The foregoing description has been directed to specific embodiments. Itwill be apparent, however, that other variations and modifications maybe made to the described embodiments, with the attainment of some or allof their advantages. For instance, it is expressly contemplated that thecomponents and/or elements described herein can be implemented assoftware being stored on a tangible (non-transitory) computer-readablemedium, devices, and memories (e.g., disks/CDs/RAM/EEPROM/etc.) havingprogram instructions executing on a computer, hardware, firmware, or acombination thereof. Further, methods describing the various functionsand techniques described herein can be implemented usingcomputer-executable instructions that are stored or otherwise availablefrom computer readable media. Such instructions can comprise, forexample, instructions and data which cause or otherwise configure ageneral purpose computer, special purpose computer, or special purposeprocessing device to perform a certain function or group of functions.Portions of computer resources used can be accessible over a network.The computer executable instructions may be, for example, binaries,intermediate format instructions such as assembly language, firmware, orsource code. Examples of computer-readable media that may be used tostore instructions, information used, and/or information created duringmethods according to described examples include magnetic or opticaldisks, flash memory, USB devices provided with non-volatile memory,networked storage devices, and so on. In addition, devices implementingmethods according to these disclosures can comprise hardware, firmwareand/or software, and can take any of a variety of form factors. Typicalexamples of such form factors include laptops, smart phones, small formfactor personal computers, personal digital assistants, and so on.Functionality described herein also can be embodied in peripherals oradd-in cards. Such functionality can also be implemented on a circuitboard among different chips or different processes executing in a singledevice, by way of further example. Instructions, media for conveyingsuch instructions, computing resources for executing them, and otherstructures for supporting such computing resources are means forproviding the functions described in these disclosures. Accordingly thisdescription is to be taken only by way of example and not to otherwiselimit the scope of the embodiments herein. Therefore, it is the objectof the appended claims to cover all such variations and modifications ascome within the true spirit and scope of the embodiments herein.

1. A method, comprising: prioritizing, by a collaboration node, eachmodality of communication accessible by at least a first user and asecond user based on one or more communication characteristics in acollaboration profile; monitoring, by the collaboration node,communication characteristics of a communication session conducted in afirst modality of communication between the first user and the seconduser; determining, by the collaboration node, a second modality ofcommunication accessible to the first user and the second user having ahigher priority than the first modality of communication based on thecollaboration profile and the communication characteristics for thecommunication session; and notifying, by the collaboration node, atleast one of the first user or the second user when the second modalityof communication has the higher priority than the first modality ofcommunication.
 2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:transferring, by the collaboration node, the communication sessionconducted in the first modality to the second modality of communicationwhen the second modality of communication has the higher priority thanthe first modality of communication.
 3. The method of claim 1, furthercomprising: merging, by the collaboration node, the communicationsession conducted in the first modality with the second modality ofcommunication when the second modality of communication has the higherpriority than the first modality of communication.
 4. The method ofclaim 1, wherein the communication characteristics of the communicationsession include at least one of a volume of interaction, a frequency ofinteraction, a duration of interaction, a type of interaction, a numberof participants for the interaction, a network resource usage associatedwith the interaction, a current location of a user, future location of auser, or a user preference.
 5. The method of claim 1, whereindetermining the second modality of communication accessible to the firstuser and the second user having the higher priority than the firstmodality of communication further comprises: determining, by thecollaboration node, a priority associated with the first modality ofcommunication for the collaboration profile is lower than a priorityassociated with the second modality of communication for thecollaboration profile.
 6. The method of claim 1, wherein prioritizingeach modality of communication accessible by at least the first user andthe second user based on one or more communication characteristics inthe collaboration profile further comprises: prioritizing, by thecollaboration node, each modality of communication accessible by atleast the first user and the second user further based on presenceinformation for each of the first user and the second user.
 7. Themethod of claim 5, wherein the presence information includes at leastone presence indicia selected from the group consisting of locationinformation and calendar information.
 8. The method of claim 1, whereinprioritizing each modality of communication accessible by at least thefirst user and the second user based on one or more communicationcharacteristics in the collaboration profile, further comprises:prioritizing, by the collaboration node, each modality of communicationaccessible by at least the first user and the second user further baseda preference list indicating an ordered preference of each modality ofcommunication accessible by at least the first user and the second user.9. The method of claim 7, wherein prioritizing each modality ofcommunication accessible by at least the first user and the second userbased on one or more communication characteristics in the collaborationprofile, further comprise: receiving, by the collaboration node, atransfer response from at least one of the first user or the second userin response to notifying at least one of the first user or the seconduser when the second modality of communication has the higher prioritythan the first modality of communication, the transfer responseindicating at least one of a rejection to transfer or an acceptance totransfer; and updating, by the collaboration node, the preference listindicating the ordered preference of each modality of communicationaccessible by the at least the first user and the second user accordingto the transfer response.
 10. The method of claim 1, whereinprioritizing each modality of communication accessible by at least thefirst user and the second user based on one or more communicationcharacteristics in a collaboration profile, further comprises:prioritizing, by a collaboration node, each modality of communicationaccessible by at least the first user and the second user further basedon at least one of a heuristic model or an autonomic model.
 11. Themethod of claim 1, further comprising: notifying, by the collaborationnode, at least one of the first user or the second user when at leastone of the first user or the second user transfers to the secondmodality of communication using the first modality of communication. 12.A collaboration device, comprising: one or more network interfaces tocommunicate with in a communication network; a processor coupled to thenetwork interfaces and adapted to execute one or more processes; and amemory configured to store a process executable by the processor, theprocess when executed operable to: prioritize each modality ofcommunication accessible by at least a first user and a second userbased on one or more communication characteristics in a collaborationprofile; monitor communication characteristics of a communicationsession conducted in a first modality of communication between the firstuser and the second user; determine a second modality of communicationaccessible to the first user and the second user having a higherpriority than the first modality of communication, based on thecollaboration profile and the communication characteristics for thecommunication session; and notify at least one of the first user or thesecond user when the second modality of communication has the higherpriority than the first modality of communication.
 13. The collaborationdevice of claim 12, wherein the process, when executed, is furtheroperable to: transfer the communication session conducted in the firstmodality to the second modality of communication when the secondmodality of communication has the higher priority than the firstmodality of communication.
 14. The collaboration device of claim 12,wherein the wherein the communication characteristics of thecommunication session include at least one of a volume of interaction, afrequency of interaction, a duration of interaction, a type ofinteraction, a number of participants for the interaction, a networkresource usage associated with the interaction, a current location of auser, future location of a user, or a user preference.
 15. Thecollaboration device of claim 12, wherein the process to determine thesecond modality of communication accessible to the first user and thesecond user having a higher priority than the first modality ofcommunication, when executed, is further operable to: determine apriority associated with the first modality of communication for thecollaboration profile is lower than a priority associated with thesecond modality of communication for the collaboration profile.
 16. Thecollaboration device of claim 12, wherein the process to prioritize eachmodality of communication accessible by at least a first user and asecond user based on one or more communication characteristics in acollaboration profile, when executed, is further operable to: prioritizeeach modality of communication accessible by at least the first user andthe second user further based on presence information for each of thefirst user and the second user.
 17. The collaboration device of claim16, wherein the presence information includes at least one presenceindicia selected from the group consisting of location information andcalendar information.
 18. The collaboration device of claim 12, whereinthe process to prioritize each modality of communication accessible byat least the first user and the second user based on one or morecommunication characteristics in a collaboration profile, when executed,is further operable to: prioritize each modality of communicationaccessible by at least the first user and the second user further baseda preference list indicating an ordered preference of each modality ofcommunication accessible by at least the first user and the second user.19. The collaboration device of claim 18, wherein the process toprioritize each modality of communication accessible by at least thefirst user and the second user based on one or more communicationcharacteristics in a collaboration profile, when executed, is furtheroperable to: receive a transfer response from at least one of the firstuser or the second user in response to notifying at least one of thefirst user or the second user when the second modality of communicationhas the higher priority than the first modality of communication, thetransfer response indicating at least one of a rejection to transfer oran acceptance to transfer; and update the preference list indicating theordered preference of each modality of communication accessible by theat least the first user and the second user according to the transferresponse.
 20. A tangible, non-transitory, computer-readable media havingsoftware encoded thereon, the software, when executed by a processor,operable to: prioritize each modality of communication accessible by atleast a first user and a second user based on one or more communicationcharacteristics in a collaboration profile; monitor communicationcharacteristics of a communication session conducted in a first modalityof communication between the first user and the second user; determine asecond modality of communication accessible to the first user and thesecond user having a higher priority than the first modality ofcommunication, based on the collaboration profile and the communicationcharacteristics for the communication session; and notify at least oneof the first user or the second user when the second modality ofcommunication having the higher priority than the first modality ofcommunication.